The impact of the substitute player is becoming increasingly important, according to Sydney Swans coach John Longmire.

Speaking ahead of the Swans first training session of the week, Longmire said a player’s ability to perform when the green vest comes off is regarded highly at the selection table the following week.

“If you look at a player who can come on the ground and impact as the sub - and you know he’s able to do it - that gives him another spot to get a game,” he said.

The Swans have not shied away from using a regular sub player, with Luke Parker used as the starting sub for four consecutive games at the end of the 2012 season - donning the green vest in round 23 against Geelong at Skilled Stadium, as well as in all three of the Swans finals matches, including the Grand Final.

This season, midfielder Craig Bird has been used as the sub on consecutive occasions, playing back-to-back games in the green vest in round two and three, while Tony Armstrong, Mitch Morton and Lewis Jetta have also been used in the sub role.

In Sunday’s 60-point victory over the Brisbane Lions, first gamer Jed Lamb collected seven possessions and one goal assist after substituting Ben McGlynn in the final term, an effort which impressed the Swans coach.

“(Lamb) certainly did himself no harm,” Longmire said.

“He came on the ground and had 22-to-25 minutes and had seven possessions and really looked pretty sharp and contributed to a couple of our scores.”

Longmire said Lamb’s ability to have an instant impact when on the field has put his name into consideration for selection this weekend against Hawthorn.

“He did what he had to do as a sub and I think it’s important that the player really embraces that sub role because that’s another role in AFL football that you can actually be picked upon,” Longmire said.

“Jed’s been able to do that on the weekend which is good for him as it gives him another opportunity.”

Lamb is not the only player in consideration for selection in Saturday night’s blockbuster clash with the Hawks at the MCG, with a number of players impressing in the Swan reserves match against the undefeated Brisbane Lions reserves.

Longmire said there were some impressive performances in the reserves, including Swans forward Mitch Morton who finished the match with five goals against some seasoned AFL campaigners.

“We played a strong reserves team on the weekend here, that included players like (Matt) McGuire, Simon Black and (Andrew) Raines, and we had a fantastic three-quarter hit out against them,” he said.

“In the last quarter we dropped away a bit but for three-and-a-half quarters I thought we were pretty good in our reserves, so that’s always good to have a quality hit out.

“We haven’t had a final selection meeting but we’ll weigh everything up that we need to and Mitch has certainly done nothing wrong.”